The rules governing entry to the UK are a matter for the UK authorities and possession of an Irish visa does not affect any visa requirements that that jurisdiction may have in place.
The Short-stay Visa Waiver Programme, launched by the Government on 1 July 2011, allows persons from eighteen designated countries granted leave to enter the UK (i.e. granted a “UK visa”) as a general visitor, child visitor, business visitor, academic visitor or sporting visitor to travel to Ireland within the period of validity of their leave to remain in the UK without the requirement to obtain an Irish visa. Egypt is not, however, one of the designated countries. Therefore the Egyptian national concerned, irrespective of whether he or she is in possession of a UK visa, requires an Irish visa for travel to the State.
The Deputy may wish to note that my officials are working with their UK counterparts on the development of reciprocal short-stay Common Travel Area (CTA) visa arrangements which will allow tourists and business visitors to travel to the CTA, with first arrival in either jurisdiction, and thereafter to travel freely between Ireland and the UK. In summary, the arrangement will be a form of mutual recognition of each jurisdiction’s visas rather than a new form of visa. This mutual recognition will allow for entry and free movement around the CTA, including between Ireland and Northern Ireland, on the basis of a single visa. Whether that single visa is an Irish visa or a UK visa will depend on the first point of entry to the CTA. It is planned for the roll-out of these arrangements to commence in Autumn 2014.